Album of the Week: Perfume Genius – Glory

Glory is the new album from Perfume Genius, the project of American singer-songwriter Mike Hadreas. Perfume Genius’ seventh record arrives following a remarkable run of releases, including 2017’s No Shape and 2020’s Set My Heart on Fire Immediately.

While those albums embraced the more abstract and experimental edges of pop, Glory shifts focus, honing in on Hadreas’ songwriting with a distinctive blend of Americana, indie-folk, and chamber pop. Once again, Hadreas is joined by producer Blake Mills—who also co-produced last week’s Album of the Week (For Melancholy Brunettes (& Sad Women)  by Japanese Breakfast), and Mills, much like he did with Michelle Zauner, coaxes Hadreas toward a sense of restraint. The songs here feel sharpened to their essence, with their impact all the more potent for it. There’s also a full-band dynamic at play with some esteemed musicians on board, giving the music something of a tangible, authentic quality.

Echoes of Elliott Smith and Bright Eyes’ Conor Oberst ripple through Glory, particularly in the way Hadreas, like Smith, draws rich, pop-leaning arrangements from a traditional rock palette. That influence is perhaps most noticeable on folk-rock opener It’s a Mirror. Elsewhere, No Front Teeth finds Hadreas in collaboration with New Zealand singer-songwriter Aldous Harding, their voices weaving together in a delicate, pensive duet. A similar intimacy pervades Me & Angel, a nostalgic piano-led ballad, reminiscent of some of Youth Lagoon’s most recent work. Hadreas’, like Youth Lagoon’s Trevor Powers, is symbolising a real shift in the feel of Americana.

When Hadreas does allow space for his more experimental side, they manifest in ways that feel more refined, subtle and approachable. Left for Tomorrow drifts in on soft drones and barely-there percussion, his stream-of-consciousness lyrics unfolding in a way that recalls mid-’90s Michael Stipe—freeform, impressionistic, untethered. As this track arrives, it marks a certain shift in the direction of the album. These moments of abstraction provide a striking counter to the album’s opening, as Glory reveals itself to be a deftly eclectic work.

Glory is a slow burn, but one that greatly rewards the listener as its artistic and emotional depth is gradually revealed. Later, the album moves seamlessly between the lush instrumentation of Full On, the hazy psych-funk of Capezio, and the abstract chamber pop of Dion and Hanging Out, all building toward and around In a Row, an explosive orchestral-rock song, an album highlight that delivers the record’s emotional peak and cathartic release.

Perfume Genius – Glory is OUT NOW on Indies Exclusive Blue Vinyl, Black Vinyl & CD.